Combined cross-tie, track-fastening, and rail-joint.



No. 696,979. Patented Apr. 8, I902.

G. L. KIMBERLY. COMBINED CROSS TIE, TRACK FASTENING, AND RAIL JDINT.

(Application filed Dec. 19, 1901.1

(I10 Model.)

...lunn auillllfl "L nu N mum w: norms PETKRS co, mom-mugs" wAsmNGwn n c GIDEON LEW'IS KIMBERLY, OF MOUNDSVILLE, TEST VIRGINIA.

COMBINED CROSS-TIE, TRACK-FASTENING, AND RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 696,979, dated April 8, 1902. Application filed December 19, 1901. Serial No. 86,567. (No model.)

To (0Z6 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GIDEoN Lnwrs KIM- BERLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moundsville, in the county of Marshall and State of West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Combined Cross-Tie, Track-Fastening, and Rail-Joint, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to track-fasteners, and has for its object to provide an improved metallic cross-tie which carries track-fastenings arranged to be conveniently assembled upon the tie and snugly engaged with the rails of the track, so as to fasten the latter to the tie. It is furthermore designed to have a wedging action between the track-fastenings proper, so that they may cooperate to prevent looseness thereof, and thereby form a strong and durable connection between the rails and the tie.

Another object is to facilitate the application and removal of the track-fastening with respect to the tie and also to facilitate the engagement thereof with the rails without requiring the tightening of a plurality of fastenings.

With these and other objects in View the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanyin g drawings,and particularly point ed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may he made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a metallic cross-tie embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional viewtaken through the track-fastenings at one end of the tie. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. at is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of a pair of cooperating track-fastenings. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the locking-keys.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the present invention there is provided a metallic cross-tie 1, which is formed in a single piece and has its lower side provided with two or more longitudinal grooves or channels 2, thereby forming an intermediate longitudinal ledge or rib 3 and opposite side ribs or ledges 4:, upon which the tie normally rests. This channeling of the tie also imparts elasticity thereto, so as to prevent breaking thereof under the shocks of heavily-loaded trains. In the-center of the upper face of the tie there is provided a longitudinal .groove or way 5, the sides of which are undercut, as best indicated in Fig.

'3, so as to form a dovetailed groove, and from the upper edges of the sides of this groove the upper face of the tie inclines downwardly and outwardly, as indicated at 6. At each end of the tie and alined longitudinally thereof are provided the outer and inner openings 7 and 8, respectively, whichare formed through the thickened or ribbed intermediate portion of the tie, whereby the latter is not materially weakened by the formation of theseopenings. Each rail 9 extends transversely across the tie and is located intermediate of the adjacent pair of openings. The rail is also gripped at opposite sides by means of the opposite cooperating track fastenings or jaws 10 and 11, which are substantially duplicates. As best indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that each clamp or fastening comprises a wedge-shaped back or body 12, the outer end of which is the wider and is provided with an outer terminal upstanding integral head .13, having its inner side undercut, as indicated at 14, to form an overhanging shoulder. That side of the head which is next to the face of the body or back is projected beyond the same, so that the smaller end of the body may underlie the corresponding laterally-projected portion of the other member and thereby prevent upward movement of the first-mentioned member. The member 10 is provided with. a pendent lug or projection 15, which is adapted to fit in the opening 7 in the tie, so as to anchor the member against endwise movement, and the outer edge of each member is also beveled, as at 16, so as to fit snugly the adjacent overhanging side of the groove in the cross-tie to prevent upward displacement thereof.

In assembling the several parts the outer jaw or fastening 10 is placed in the groove or seat of the tie with the lug or projection 15 in the outer opening 7, and then the inner member 11 is placed alongside of the outer member with the wedge portions thereof overlapping and their heads separated sufiiciently to permit of the rail being inserted therebetween and supported upon the body portions of the members, after which the inner member is forced outwardly into engagement with the rail, and a suitable wedge-shaped pin 17 is then driven into the inner opening 8, so as to frictionally bear against the inner end of the inner track member, and thereby force the latter outwardly and grip the rail snugly between the two members. Prior to the application of the pin 17 a locking-key 18 is inserted through the opening 8 and against the outer end thereof with its toe portion 19 underlying the bottom of the tie, so as to prevent upward displacement of the key. The upper portion of the key is provided with a lateral shoulder 20, designed to engage the upper face of the tie at one side of the opening 18, so as to support the key in position when the pin 17 is being inserted into the opening. After the pin has been driven into place the upper projected end portion of the key is struck with a hammer or other suitable implement and bent over into engagement with the top of the pin, so as to form a head 21, which looks the pin against accidental displacement or looseness. To remove the pin, the head 21 is pried upwardly and then bent backwardly from the pin, so as to free the same from engagement with the key. It will be understood that the toe portion 19 is shorter than the width of the opening 8 in order that the key may be readily inserted through the opening and is just long enough to engage the bottom of the tie and prevent upward displacement of the key.

It willhere be noted that the backs or bodies of the clamp members are projected slightly above the top of the cross-tie, so as to form a seat for the rail. To replace a broken rail,

it is merely necessary to withdraw the pin or wedge 17, thereby freeing the clamp members, which may then be readily withdrawn from the rail, so as to permit removal thereof and insertion of a new rail.

As plainly indicatedin Fig. 1, it willbe seen that besides forming a connection between the rail-sections and the cross-tie the present invention is also designed for use as a railjoint, as the portions 13 are of considerable width, and thereby overlap the joint to an extent sufficiently to act in the capacity of the usual fish-plates, and thus join the abutted rail-sections without employing bolts or other fastenings piercing the rails.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the present device embodies comparatively few parts, which may be conveniently assembled and removed without requiring any great degree of skill or experience and whenin place are snugly bound together, so

as to obviate looseness, and at the same time may be conveniently separated for replacing a worn or damaged rail.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a cross-tie having a seat formed in the upper face thereof, of cooperating rail-clamping members fitted in the seat and having wedgeshaped overlapping portions, and means to draw the members inwardly in opposite directions and thereby to clamp the same upon a rail and against the opposite sides of the seat.

2. The combination with a cross-tie having a seat formed in the upper face thereof, and provided with an opening through the back of the seat, of a pair of cooperating rail-gripping members fitted in the seat and having wedge-shaped overlapping portions, one of the members being fixed to the tie and the other member which is adjacent to the opening in the tie being movable toward and away from the fixed member, and a wedge-shaped fastening to be driven through the opening and into frictional engagement with the movable member to force the sametoward the fixed member and into snug engagement with the adjacent wall of the seat.

3. The combination with a cross-tie having a seat formed therein and opposite openings formed in the back of the seat, of a pair of cooperating rail-gripping members fitted in the seat and having wedge-sha ped overlapped portions, one of the members having a lug or projection fitted in one of the openings to prevent accidental endwise movement of the member, and a wedge-shaped fastening to be driven into the other opening in frictional engagement with the other member and thereby force the same toward the fixed member.

4. The combination with a cross-tie having a flanged seat formed therein and opposite openings formed in the back of the seat, of opposite rail-gripping members fitted in the seat with their outer edges lying beneath the flanges of the seat and also provided with wedge-shaped overlapping portions, one of the members having a lug or projection fitted in one of the openings to hold the member against movement, and a wedge-shaped fastening driven in the other opening in frictional engagement with the other member to force the same toward the fixed member.

5. The combination with a cross-tie having a longitudinal dovetailed groove formed in the upper face thereof and also provided with opposite openings formed in the back of the groove, of a pair of rail-gripping members seated in the groove and having wedge-shaped overlapping back portions and, upstanding undercut rail-engaging shoulders, which have their lower portions cut away at alternate sides to receive the inner end of the other member, one of the members having a pondent lug or projection seated in the adjacent opening to prevent movement of the member, and a wedge-shaped fastening driven in the other opening in frictional engagement with the inner member to force the same toward and into cooperative relation with the fixed member.

6. A track-fastenin g, comprising a metallic tie having its under face provided with longitudinal channels to render the tie yieldable, the upper face of the tie being provided with a central longitudinal seat, and said upper face being beveled outwardly and down-.

wardly in opposite directions from the opposite sides of the seat, rail-engaging fastenin gs fitted in the seat and having overlapped wedge portions, and means for drawing said wedge portions into mutual engagement to force the rail-engaging means into frictional engagement with the opposite sides of the seat.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a solid metallic cross-tie which is substantially triangular in cross-section, the bottom thereof having a pair of longitudinal channels formed therein and providing an intermediate longitudinal rib, the apex of the tie being removed, there beinga central longitudinal seat formed in the top of the tie, and the downwardly-inclined portions of the tie at opposite sides of the seat forming longitudinal flanges to be embedded in ballast.

8. The combination with a cross-tie having an opening formed therein, of a fixed railclamping member, a movable rail-clamping member cooperating therewith, a headed wedge-shaped pin driven into the opening in the tie and against the movable clamping member, and a pin-locking key inserted in the opening prior to the application of the pin, and clamped between the head of the latter and the movable clamp member.

9. The combination with a cross-tie having an opening formed therein, of a fixed railclamping member, a movable rail-clampingmember, a Wedgeshaped pin to be inserted into the opening and against the movable member, and a pin-locking key to be inserted in the opening, the lower end of the key having a toe to underlie the bottom of the tie, and the upper portion of the key having a lateral shoulder to rest upon the top of the tie, and also having a bendable portion which is capable of being bent over against the top of the pin to prevent displacement thereof.

10. The combination with a cross-tie, of cooperating rail-clamping members supported upon the top of the tie and having wedgeshaped overlapping portions, and means to draw the members inwardly in opposite directions and thereby to clamp the same upon a rail.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GIDEON LEWIS KIMBERLY.

\Vitnesses:

J. 0. SIMPSON, FRIEND COX. 

